Add/edit a topic page

Getting started

Because topic pages are the most commonly used type of page, this documentation will review the material fully.  In other parts of the documentation, we will only talk about the parts that are specific to the page in question (ie. that don't exist on a topic page).

• Field names are usually bolded and sit above the space where information can be entered (see "Title" in the screenshot below)
• Asterisks indicate that a field is mandatory
• Underneath the space for the content, you will find helpful hints and information about what you should provide in this area as well as details like character count maximums etc. 

• The meta description is not displayed anywhere on a published page and is not visible to visitors.  It is strictly used for search results (search engine optimization or SEO) so it should - in 160 characters or less - contain information that would make this page findable during a search.  If you're not sure what to include in a meta description, try looking at other pages in this department/school or talk to your Marketing Specialist.
• You can expand or decrease the space in the field by using the handle at the lower right.  You cannot increase the character limitation from 160.
• If you are working on a school page, click the box next to that question.  You will be asked to choose a feature image for the page.
• If there is a news topic relevant to your page, select the topic from the drop-down list.  If there is none related, leave 'none' selected.

Topic content is the main part of any page.  There are options for how you want to present your information - you choose components to build your page in a pleasing way.  

If you are creating a new page, you will see:

About Components

To add a component, you should click on one of the grey buttons.  

Because we're working with a page that already contains components (ie. we're editing an existing page), we'll see all the components in use and under those, the option to add more by clicking on the grey buttons.

You can add any component more than once on any page.

It is unlikely that you will want or need to use ALL the different components offered.  We have done so here for demonstration purposes only.  Please read through all the component types as we'll be pointing out things along the way that apply in other components.

Text and media block component

If you wish to add a Text and media block, click the grey button that says Add a text and media block.  if you wish to edit an existing one, click the Edit button to the right of the block.

You can find more information about the purpose of each component and a picture of what they look like when published on our list of components. But basically, this component allows you to add an image and some text.

Notice that we're using Basic HTML in the editor - you can tell because of the selection but also because of the limited options available at the top of the editor.

There is a reminder note to aim for a grade 6 or 7 reading level.  You would have read about that in the "Writing for the Web" section of this material.

If you prefer more options when editing, you can change to Full HTML.  You will be warned:

If you feel comfortable that you have nothing to lose, click Continue otherwise, save the page first and then come back to this step.

Once you've switched to Full HTML, you will have additional features in the editor including marking text as quotes, superscript, subscript and the ability to apply a heading style to a paragraph of text.

Note that there is no 'undo' button in the editor and the options are somewhat simple but they should serve the purpose well enough.

About the "media" part of this Text and media block: if this was a new page, there would not be a picture.  You would see this:

To add a photo, click Add Media and then choose what to do next:

If you wish to upload your own photo, click Choose File, browse to the file location, highlight it, and click upload.  The photo is then added to the library that you see here.  Select the photo by clicking the little box. 

If you know the photo is in the library but you don't see it, use the filtering and sorting options to look for the photo.  When you find it, click the little box to select it.

Regardless of how you get there, when you see the photo you want, click the little box to select it.

Then click on the Insert Selected button.

The photo will be inserted into the Text and media block, as you see below.

Choose if you want the photo displayed to the left or right of your Text and Image block.  (If you choose 'none', that means you've changed your mind.  No photo will be included.  You'll have to start your search again if you didn't mean to do that.)

In the screenshot above, you can see that we've already added a picture.  To change that picture, click on the 'x' in the upper right of the picture to remove it and then run through the steps above starting with "Click Add Media".

At any point, if you decide you wish to remove the Text and media block, you can click on the ellipses in the upper right of the block and then choose Remove.

Table component 

To add a table to your page, click the Add Table component button.  Your table needs a title, a colour, a caption, some headings and of course, some data.

Notice that each cell of the table has editor settings that you can change from Basic HTML to Full HTML.  We like using Full HTML for the headings of the table and Basic for the data.

Type and format your headings.  Type (and format?) your data.

You can add a row by clicking the Add Row button.

You can rebuild the table by clicking on the down arrow to the left of "Change number of rows/columns" and then:

• increasing the number of columns or rows, or both.  The table will be restructured and no data will be lost.
• decreasing the number of columns or rows, or both.  Columns will be removed from the right and rows will be removed from the bottom.  Any data in those columns and rows will be deleted but data in the remaining columns and rows will remain.

Text block component

Accordion block component

Feature profiles component

Feature testimonials component

Media block component

Call to action component

After components have been added

Let's pause here to move back to the top of the screen and look at the options on the right:

And now, we're finished adding/editing the page and we're ready to move our content along in the workflow.

Fill in the required information using the field descriptions below.  If you are unsure of the content you should use, we suggest reviewing a similar page in your program area or connecting with your Marketing Specialist for advice.

1. Title
   Page title, without any branding (such as your site name).  70 character limit. 
   
   
2. Meta description
   The meta description is not displayed anywhere on the page.  It is not visible to visitors on the page.  It is strictly used for search results (search engine optimization or SEO) so it should - in 160 characters or less - contain information that would make this page findable during a search.  If you're not sure what to include in a meta description, try looking at other pages in this department/school or talk to your Marketing Specialist.
   
   
3. Is this a school page?
   Check this box only if this is a school page.  If you check this box, this is what happens ???
   
   
4. News topic
   There is a lot of news on the site and every news story is a web page of type "News story".  You can pull in news content from the news collection by selecting the topic here. If you are creating a page on the subject of financial aid, for example, you would choose the News topic of "Financial Aid" from the drop-down list. Then, when you save the page and look at it as a customer would, you will see that relevant news articles are displayed automatically.  This is a great way to enhance your page using content that exists elsewhere already.  If there are no news categories relevant to the topic of your page, leave "None" selected.
   
   

5. Under the grey heading bar called "Topic content", you will choose which components you want to be included on this page.  If you're not sure which components you want, please refer to the list of component types. You can remove content types if you no longer want them but you cannot change a content type once it's there. 
   
   For example, if you choose 'Add text block', add your text and save but later decide you would prefer an image as well, you cannot change that type to a 'Text and Media block'.  If you no longer want the Text bock, you must delete it and add a Text and media block instead if you wish to corporate a photo.  Hint:  if you need to do this, we suggest that you copy the content from the Text block, add the Text and media block, copy the text in, add a photo and then go back to delete the Text block, to save typing it all again.
   
   This is the body of your webpage and where you will spend most of your time while editing.
   
   Please visit the Types of components page for specific details about adding each component, including specific information about each type.

   
   

6. Faculty by program area
   You can pull in faculty biographies from the collection by choosing a program area from the drop-down list. If you are creating a page for the Leadership and Executive Education area, for example, you would choose "Leadership and Executive Education" from the drop-down list. Then, when you save the page and look at it as a customer would, you will see faculty bios for faculty in this school.  If you do not wish to include bios, leave "None" selected.
   
   

7. Before moving on to the Bottom topic content, let's look at the options on the upper right of the screen, starting with Colour scheme.
   Choose the name of your school or department from the drop-down list, if appropriate.  This will ensure that the new page is colour coordinated with your existing pages.  If your department is not listed, you can leave "Default" selected.
   
   
8. Revision log message
   Leave a comment to explain what changes you made.  This will be helpful if your page needs to go to a publisher to be published or for another editor in your department who may need to work on this page with you.
   
   
9. Menu settings
   Click the option to provide a menu link if you... ???
   
   

10. Moving down to Bottom topic content
    In the bottom topic content section, you can add one or more 'call to action' buttons and/or images.  These are meant to inspire the reader to click on them to DO something, such as "Call us" or "Read more". 
    
    
    
    

    
    

11. Notification for publisher review

    Stay tuned

    More information coming shortly about the notification for publisher review (which is part of the workflow)

    
    
    

12. Save as
    
    The options available here are:
    
    

• • Choose Draft if you need to come back to do more work on this page
  • Choose Publisher review if you're ready to pass this along to your publisher. Remember to include a comment in the 'Revision comments' field to help the publisher identify what the need to focus on during their review.
  • Choose Published if you have permissions and are ready to publish (you might be the publisher who is reviewing work passed to you by someone else)
  • Choose Rejected if you are reviewing work that was sent to you, the publisher. Remember to include a comment in the 'Revision comments' field to help the publisher identify what the need to focus on during their review.

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